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R. T. GOVERDALE. GAS APPARATUS.

No. 66,950. Patented July 2s, 1867.4

uiten tutta ttttat time R. T. COVERDALE, OF ClRCLEVlLL-E, CHIC).

Letters Patent lVo. 66,950, dated July 23, 1.867.

IMPROVED GAS APPARATUS.

T0 ALL WHOM 1T MAY CONCERN: v

Be it known that I, R. T. COVERDALE, of Gircleville, in the countyof Pickaway, and State of Ohio,'have invented a new and useful improvementin Gas-lvorks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in whichl i Figure 1 is a perspective view of thc rear part of th gas-works, having my invention applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the gas-works, looking toward the rear thereof.

Figure 3 is a sectional view, showing theA oil-supply tank, the feed pipe and its cock.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures. A This invention relates to an improvement` on gas-works, which are especially adapted for making illumi nating gas from oils and .various other liquid substances. V

The object of the invention is to equalize and govern the supply of oil to the retort in which itis converted into gas, by means ofthe floating gasometer or holder in such manner that the ascending and descending movements of the latter are communicated to a. cock or valve which is in the pipe leading from the oil-reservoir to' the retort, and the supply of thel oil regulated in a proper ratio with the consumption of gas,las will be hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

The furnace A, gas-retort' B, purifying-chamber C, and gas-holder D, may he made as represented in the drawings, or in any other suitable manner. The retort`B is constructed with ashelf or diaphragm, a, in it, upon which the oil flows and is converted into gas. Any well-known form of retort which is adapted for making illuminating gas from oil may be employed. The oil is contained in a reservoir, E, which is elevated above thc retort B, and above the highest point which is attained by the gas-holder Dand which is supported upon the upper end of a pipe, d, that communicates with the retort B above the partition or shelt` a therein. This pipe d rises vertically from the centre of the gasometer tank F, and passes centrally through the crown of the gas ometer D, and also through a tube, b, which is applied to this gasometer, as shown Vin iig. 2. The tube b is secured at its upper end to the crown'ot the gasometer, and ex tends down to the bottom thereof, to prevent the escape of gas through the opening through which the pipe d passes. This tube b and pipe d serve to guide and keep the gra-someter in place, and allow it to rise and descend vertically, as it receives gasfrom the retort and supplies this gasfor consumption. A s the gas is manufacturedk in the retort, it passes ofi through the stand pipe J, through the purifying chambers C', and thence into the gasometcr above the level of the water in thc tank F, through pipe I, from which, latter the gas also escapes to thc supply pipe L, to be burned. Below the oil-supply tank or reservoir E, a cockvor valve, e, of a suitable construction, is applied to the pipe d, by means of which the flow of oil from the reservoir to the retort can bc partially or entirely cut oli at pleasure. To the stem oi' this cock e a lever, y, is secured, one arm of which carries a weight, w, which should be sufficiently heavy to turn the cock and cut oii' the supply of oil to the retort, when there is no counterbalancingiweight on the other arm of said lever. Upon attaching one arm of lever g to the crown of the gasometcr, by means of a chain or other flexible connection, h, the rise and fall of the gasometer wilh regulate the supply of. oil to thc retort; for it will be seen that as the gasometer is caused to riso by supplying it with gas produced from thc oil which flows into the retort from the reservoir E, the weight u' on lever g acting upon lthe cock e, will grada ally diminish the supply of oil to said retort, until finally the supply will be entirely cut o, and as thc gas is consumed and the gesemeer thus Caused to sink in its tank, it will gradually open the cock e, and increase the supply of oil to the retort. Consequently, by a suitable adjustment of the cock e, the supply of oil to and manufacture of gas in the retort will be regulated in a proper ratio to the consumption .of gus. 4 .At the commencement'iof making gus the gasometer is detached from the lever g, byunhooking chain @and the cock'c is opened furthe .purpose of allowing a full supply of oilto the retort. When the gasometcr rises to a certain height it is again attached to the lever y, after which the supply of oil to thc retort will be aptomatically regulated, as

long as fire is kept up beneath the retort` I am aware that it is not new to regulate the flow of oil to rctorts in gas-works for making illuminating gas by the rise and fall of the gasometer, and I do not desire to make a broad claim covering this feature. The

invention which I have made is this: Combining the feed pipe ofthe retort and the guiding device of t'ne gasometer in such a manner that external guides for the gasometer D are rendered unnecessary, While at the same time the use of a walking-beam between the gasometer and the retort, as in the apparatus of L. L. Hill, patented June 17, 1862, is dispensed with. There is a great necessity of having portable gas apparatuses compact. There is also a necessity, sometimes, of having the gasometer some distance oil` from the retort. By passing the feed pipe down through the gasometer andlnlong the ground, no inconvenience wil1`be experienced for want of room. But if a long Walking-beam is placed over the top of the two apparatuses, namely, retort and gasometer, and it is desired to have the gasometer some distance off from the retort, such beam will be seriously in the way; and even if the two apparatuses are as close together as the arrangement with a walking-beam will permit, still the gasometer will have no guide, and the arrangement will be less compact: than is'practicnble with my arrangement.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the central tube'b, feed pipe d, gasometer D, oil-reservoir E, cock e, lever g, connecting device h. and retort B, said parts being arranged substantially in the manner and for the purpose described. Y

2. Constructing the gasometer with a central guide-tube b, and passing the feed-reservoir pipe through this tube to the retort, substantially in the manner herein described and shown.

R. 'I'. COVERDALE.

Witnessesz' R. T. CAMPBELL, EDW. SCHAFEB. 

